Northwest Flower & Garden Show

Doing things with plants you never dreamed

The main ooh-and-aah-inducing draw of the Northwest Flower & Garden Showaside from the several dozen talks and classes that fill the five daysare the lavish display gardens, 26 hyper-elaborate installations which combine plants, flowers, furniture, and accessories. This years theme is Live Beautifully. Live Outdoors. A friend who attends every year reports that a similar theme last year led to some fairly ludicrous setups, like a sports-bar garden that included a big-screen TV. Which may not be much use if your gardening goals are more modestsay, windowsill pots of basil for pesto purposes. But if your dream of a romantic rose-draped bower includes a canopy bed, theyll have some ideas for you. Washington State Convention and Trade Center, Seventh Avenue and Pike Street, www.gardenshow.com. $3-$19 per day, $65 five-day pass. 9 a.m.-9 p.m. today through Sat., 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Sun., Feb. 24. GAVIN BORCHERT